Toyota: US sales up 40 percent in March

A top Toyota executive says U.S. sales surged 40 percent in March, powered by some of its deepest discounts ever in the wake of millions of recalls.

Toyota Group Vice President Bob Carter says some of the incentives will continue past March, including an offer of free maintenance for return Toyota customers.

Carter made the remarks during an interview at the New York International Auto Show. The Japanese automaker is coping with recalls of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide -- about 6 million in the U.S. -- by offering incentives such as 0-percent financing on recalled models, low-priced leasing and free maintenance.

Carter says Toyota dealers have so far repaired about 2 million recalled vehicles in the U.S.